Daniel Hale
She fid, he fid, I fidn't
which bike & bag do you have?
how is training going?
2020 Trans NZ Enduro - Help!!!!
- Thread starter slowmick
- Start date
how is training going?
carpetrunner
Likes Dirt
OK, where are the results from the prologue? Which burners are racing?
bear the bear
Is a real bear
Confused with The Pioneer?
slowmick
38-39"
Ok, so the "bargain" evoc bag i grabbed is now looking like less of a bargain. i was planning to buy it, use it and sell it and be out of pocket about the same as hiring one.
@moorey - i travelled to SA years ago with a cardboard box and it finished the trip with a bunch of speed holes. I would be gutted if the bike got busted on the way over. Thought the Evoc might help.
Bag is listed as 9.1
Bike will be around 16 - 16.5kg - it's in pieces at the moment and some bits are missing. i weighed all the bits i have and added some.
Thanks for the list @teK-- - was planning on cassette, chain, pedals and discs.
I was thinking the tyres as they are around 1 kg each. i have the Friday in Christchurch to buy a bottle of stans and fit them up.
I have 2 x 23 kg bags - 1 for clothes, 1 for bike.
Might need to start making pilesof clothes to see how much the gear bag will be - now taking sleeping bag and towel so may need more kg anyway.
good point on the riding shoes @climberman - think i will wear them on the plane.
@Goats - The lovely people at virgin on allow you to pay the overweight fees at the gate.
@moorey - i travelled to SA years ago with a cardboard box and it finished the trip with a bunch of speed holes. I would be gutted if the bike got busted on the way over. Thought the Evoc might help.
Bag is listed as 9.1
Bike will be around 16 - 16.5kg - it's in pieces at the moment and some bits are missing. i weighed all the bits i have and added some.
Thanks for the list @teK-- - was planning on cassette, chain, pedals and discs.
I was thinking the tyres as they are around 1 kg each. i have the Friday in Christchurch to buy a bottle of stans and fit them up.
I have 2 x 23 kg bags - 1 for clothes, 1 for bike.
Might need to start making pilesof clothes to see how much the gear bag will be - now taking sleeping bag and towel so may need more kg anyway.
good point on the riding shoes @climberman - think i will wear them on the plane.
@Goats - The lovely people at virgin on allow you to pay the overweight fees at the gate.
slowmick
38-39"
@Daniel Hale - training is going pretty well - will be a big 11 weeks for the lead up. Training dropped off after i signed up as my 3yo daughter decided that 7 hours sleep is heaps for the night. Had put a damper on the early starts and knocked out the late night. Breaking or wearing out stuff has also delayed play. everything seems to be breaking or wearing out at the moment. Just have to go hard when i get out.
Got the ride guide on Friday - there is a butt load of climbing to be had.
Got the ride guide on Friday - there is a butt load of climbing to be had.
Daniel Hale
She fid, he fid, I fidn't
come out to macedon we’ll do hill climb repeats, 4-5km climbs with short sharp downhill sectors, ive got a kona soft bike bag you can borrow if need be, i took to derby
Boom King
downloaded a pic of moorey's bruised arse
A few training trips to Maydena...
Between 5 and 6km top to bottom with 820m of elevation loss. Climbing trail goes two thirds of the way back up the hill.
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moorey
call me Mia
Relax. Put your feet up. You’ll ride yourself fit by day 3.
The first 2 days will hurt though.
slowmick
38-39"
2020 Trans NZ Enduro - what an experience - I had a ball.
I was under prepared. I did the best I could but it was not enough. I did a boat load of climbing before work to lose weight and build fitness/endurance. Technical training was limited to Silvan, Red Hill, Lake Mountain and Lysterfield. Not ideal. Our annual trip to Mt Beauty was canned by the fires. Local riders i had met had done trips to Maydena, Derby and Queenstown to prepare.
So with a rubber chicken strapped to the stem and my race plate reading Slow Mick to lower expectations I set out.
Day 1 - Craigieburn (1471m up, 1466m down, 32 km)
The day started light rain.
Stage 1 - 400m+ climbing to get to "The Edge". Early on in the stage there was a transition across the scree. I tried to tripod it across and shredded my ankle as it sank into the scree. About half way into the stage the trail dropped into a big slipper clay pit full of roots - we were not in Kansas anymore. Brakes off, small manual and the crazy began. I came out the bottom laughing they way you do when you dodged a bullet. Jobs on.
Stage 2 - had to get out of the way of a faster rider. Get to the bottom and he is there to high five me. Says best pass ever, no need to touch the brakes just ripping. Lovely bloke. Kept saying hi and asked how i was going over the week. Went on to take out second overall.
Stage 3 - Cheeseman downhill - my legs cramped, may hands and forearms and shoulders screamed. Crashed hard into a tree.
Next 2 stages a blur. Hardest day I have ever done on a bike.
Rumors circulate of bloke heading back to Christchurch after ripping up his face early in the day (his race was over but stayed with the event till the end with a stitched face)
Just before dinner the Westpac chopper flies in and lands. Seems a medic hit a tree doing clearance and damaged their spleen. Shit is real team.
Day 2 - Craigieburn (840m up, 920m down, 16 km)
Lots of rain over night. More light rain in the morning. Wet Roots, rocks, creeks. Cuckoo Creek was a rooty loam fest waiting to through you on the ground. An early finish before an 8 hour trip to Queenstown. Cramps were common. Everyone was still smiling though. So many photos.
Day 3 - Coronet Peak (700m up, 1800m down, 25 km)
Start the day with climb up XC trail then race down the downhill traiil. Small dirt nap mid trail.
Then XC trail, Rude Rock and Zoot. The trip into skippers canyon was cut short as the track was overgrown and the ruts too deep to race in safely. Saved about 400m of climbing and a boat load of time.
Rode back to Pinewood from Zoot. Got lost on the way back to Pinewood but ran into a racer from Singapore on his way back from the medical centre. His race was over day one on Cheeseman downhill. Shoulder pooped a couple of times from the jarring and he crashed a few times. All over by stage 3.
The bloke I met on the bus day 1 binned it on Rude Rock doing a head check and broke his collarbone. He had a mate coming the day after the enduro for 2 more weeks of riding. All that got cancelled and he headed home to see an orthopeadic surgeon about his options. That shook me and made me nervous to start the next day.
Day 4 - Alexandra (dunno)
Crazy rocky place. Just insane. Had a rough time on stage one then the last of the 4 pawls in the freehub broke and I was done for the day. Hung out at the feed station and then watched riders complete the end of the last stage. On an early bus back to Queenstown to fix the bike.
Managed to score a second hand wheel for $100 from the mechanic at Vertigo bikes just before they closed so i could finish the week. That night the guys I'd been having dinner with suggested stuffing the hub was probably for the best as it was a tough day and i would have struggled. Self doubt getting worse, sleeping less. I would be a DNF and felt more out of it as i had not endured the hard day at Alex. I should be fresh and smashing it after a day off.
Day 5 - Cardrona (600m up, 2280m down, 19 km)
A day of tough progression. Start the day with a climb then a blue trail, lift then a black trail, then lift, climb, double black trail with sections labelled - "don't race the whole track, you will ride off the cliff". You can see the chute in photos. Nothing to stop the fall on the left. i walked. Day finished with a stage from top of the hill to the pub at the bottom. By the bottom of the hill i had got comfortable and was launching the ramps over the farm fences Steve McQueen/Great escape style. @moorey - the trails are much more Australian style - loose over hard, berms, rocks and steep. Track 3 was more exposed. Just needed confidence in your bike handling. was a hard one to pick - people who struggled on faster technical stages were less worried by the exposure. I also watched highly skilled riders miss the trail at the bottom and yard sale down the hill.
Day 6 - Queenstown (1600m climbing, 1600m down, 24km)
Skyline bike park and the Ben Lomond Saddle
What a day to finish.the run down from the Ben Lomond saddle is insane. A beautiful view and a fun track. The marshall told me that everyone finished the stage wt the biggest of smiles. She wished she could bottle the happiness. The rest of the day was endurance and survival for most. Many people were doing party trains to keep the fun times rolling. There was a mixture of not wanting it to stop and needing it to stop.
Things I learned:
if you get a chance, do it. It is a wonderful sampler of what New Zealand has to offer and you can race for the podium or party train the whole thing with your mates. Me, I've got some work to do.
I was under prepared. I did the best I could but it was not enough. I did a boat load of climbing before work to lose weight and build fitness/endurance. Technical training was limited to Silvan, Red Hill, Lake Mountain and Lysterfield. Not ideal. Our annual trip to Mt Beauty was canned by the fires. Local riders i had met had done trips to Maydena, Derby and Queenstown to prepare.
So with a rubber chicken strapped to the stem and my race plate reading Slow Mick to lower expectations I set out.
Day 1 - Craigieburn (1471m up, 1466m down, 32 km)
The day started light rain.
Stage 1 - 400m+ climbing to get to "The Edge". Early on in the stage there was a transition across the scree. I tried to tripod it across and shredded my ankle as it sank into the scree. About half way into the stage the trail dropped into a big slipper clay pit full of roots - we were not in Kansas anymore. Brakes off, small manual and the crazy began. I came out the bottom laughing they way you do when you dodged a bullet. Jobs on.
Stage 2 - had to get out of the way of a faster rider. Get to the bottom and he is there to high five me. Says best pass ever, no need to touch the brakes just ripping. Lovely bloke. Kept saying hi and asked how i was going over the week. Went on to take out second overall.
Stage 3 - Cheeseman downhill - my legs cramped, may hands and forearms and shoulders screamed. Crashed hard into a tree.
Next 2 stages a blur. Hardest day I have ever done on a bike.
Rumors circulate of bloke heading back to Christchurch after ripping up his face early in the day (his race was over but stayed with the event till the end with a stitched face)
Just before dinner the Westpac chopper flies in and lands. Seems a medic hit a tree doing clearance and damaged their spleen. Shit is real team.
Day 2 - Craigieburn (840m up, 920m down, 16 km)
Lots of rain over night. More light rain in the morning. Wet Roots, rocks, creeks. Cuckoo Creek was a rooty loam fest waiting to through you on the ground. An early finish before an 8 hour trip to Queenstown. Cramps were common. Everyone was still smiling though. So many photos.
Day 3 - Coronet Peak (700m up, 1800m down, 25 km)
Start the day with climb up XC trail then race down the downhill traiil. Small dirt nap mid trail.
Then XC trail, Rude Rock and Zoot. The trip into skippers canyon was cut short as the track was overgrown and the ruts too deep to race in safely. Saved about 400m of climbing and a boat load of time.
Rode back to Pinewood from Zoot. Got lost on the way back to Pinewood but ran into a racer from Singapore on his way back from the medical centre. His race was over day one on Cheeseman downhill. Shoulder pooped a couple of times from the jarring and he crashed a few times. All over by stage 3.
The bloke I met on the bus day 1 binned it on Rude Rock doing a head check and broke his collarbone. He had a mate coming the day after the enduro for 2 more weeks of riding. All that got cancelled and he headed home to see an orthopeadic surgeon about his options. That shook me and made me nervous to start the next day.
Day 4 - Alexandra (dunno)
Crazy rocky place. Just insane. Had a rough time on stage one then the last of the 4 pawls in the freehub broke and I was done for the day. Hung out at the feed station and then watched riders complete the end of the last stage. On an early bus back to Queenstown to fix the bike.
Managed to score a second hand wheel for $100 from the mechanic at Vertigo bikes just before they closed so i could finish the week. That night the guys I'd been having dinner with suggested stuffing the hub was probably for the best as it was a tough day and i would have struggled. Self doubt getting worse, sleeping less. I would be a DNF and felt more out of it as i had not endured the hard day at Alex. I should be fresh and smashing it after a day off.
Day 5 - Cardrona (600m up, 2280m down, 19 km)
A day of tough progression. Start the day with a climb then a blue trail, lift then a black trail, then lift, climb, double black trail with sections labelled - "don't race the whole track, you will ride off the cliff". You can see the chute in photos. Nothing to stop the fall on the left. i walked. Day finished with a stage from top of the hill to the pub at the bottom. By the bottom of the hill i had got comfortable and was launching the ramps over the farm fences Steve McQueen/Great escape style. @moorey - the trails are much more Australian style - loose over hard, berms, rocks and steep. Track 3 was more exposed. Just needed confidence in your bike handling. was a hard one to pick - people who struggled on faster technical stages were less worried by the exposure. I also watched highly skilled riders miss the trail at the bottom and yard sale down the hill.
Day 6 - Queenstown (1600m climbing, 1600m down, 24km)
Skyline bike park and the Ben Lomond Saddle
What a day to finish.the run down from the Ben Lomond saddle is insane. A beautiful view and a fun track. The marshall told me that everyone finished the stage wt the biggest of smiles. She wished she could bottle the happiness. The rest of the day was endurance and survival for most. Many people were doing party trains to keep the fun times rolling. There was a mixture of not wanting it to stop and needing it to stop.
Things I learned:
- New Zealand has big hills/mountains and long rails. They are proper technical. So different to any trails I have ridden at home.
- I wanted to take photos is everything. NZ is 360 degrees of postcard views
- Mountain bikers are awesome, funny, supportive people. They are the same the world over. Night one dinner was 6 people from 5 different countries.
- Most people from outside Australia and the UK are taken back by the idea of a meat pie. But everyone ponied up their money to try one on the day one bus trip. Many converts.
- Riding trails blind is hard, really hard. Chasing people is much easier. I have trust issues, Aussie trial builders tend to cram features into the trails they have which can lead to nasty surprises. Not the case in NZ. If they want a jump trial they will build a jump trail.
- Self doubt is a double edged sword - it can keep you safe or cause you to crash. I had real problems with this and just getting into riding/racing. I always felt slow, outclassed and at times unworthy.
- Mountain biking involves a surprising amount of walking when the hills get big
- Magnesium can relieve the aches and pains but can also be a laxative.
- The event is really well organised and run. You have to do very little thinking for everything to go well. An event like this enables you to ride trails you probably shouldn't ride by yourself.
- The vollies are awesome. Encouraging in good and bad ways. The medics at the end of the last stage of the tough day at Alex were calling out to the people struggling things like- "are you still happy with your choice of holiday? this is fun right. You'd paid to do this. If there was a prize for heavy breathing you'd be the winner today
- Vertigo bikes are awesome. They stayed back for 5 nights to fix bikes over night and then opened early for riders to collect them to start the next day.
if you get a chance, do it. It is a wonderful sampler of what New Zealand has to offer and you can race for the podium or party train the whole thing with your mates. Me, I've got some work to do.
born-again-biker
Is looking for a 16" bar
I loved reading this.
Thanks for write-up Mick.
It's hard to compare how much stoke mtn biking can deliver.
Thanks for write-up Mick.
It's hard to compare how much stoke mtn biking can deliver.
moorey
call me Mia
So much awesome, cheers for the rundown, @slowmick. Brings back both painful and awesome memories. I can tell you it gets easier second time around if you ever get the inspiration and opportunity to return. At least next time, you won't be riding the trails TOTALLY blind.
You're right about it being fantastically organised and run. You can pretty much turn your brain off between descents, and just enjoy the place. Was Ted Morton running the show this year?
Glad you enjoyed it, bugger about missing Alex, but yes, its a tough place to ride blind.
What was your favourite trail of the week? Hard to go past the Ben Lomond ridge run down into Beached As for me...just for the pure purity of riding in NZ. I'm a sucker for riding the Beach Forests at Craigieburn, but Cheesman/Kokaine Alley also brought me undone a few times with both cramps and crashes.
Love your work, man.
.You're right about it being fantastically organised and run. You can pretty much turn your brain off between descents, and just enjoy the place. Was Ted Morton running the show this year?
Glad you enjoyed it, bugger about missing Alex, but yes, its a tough place to ride blind.
What was your favourite trail of the week? Hard to go past the Ben Lomond ridge run down into Beached As for me...just for the pure purity of riding in NZ. I'm a sucker for riding the Beach Forests at Craigieburn, but Cheesman/Kokaine Alley also brought me undone a few times with both cramps and crashes.
Love your work, man.
Ultra Lord
Hurts. Requires Money. And is nerdy.
That’s a cracker of a shot.
slowmick
38-39"
@moorey - hard to go past starting up at Ben Lomond then into beeched as for the epic backdrop. I really enjoyed the trails at Craigieburn. would love them as my local. For my first day I was pretty much the last rider in the first wave to stay out of people's way. It meant my of the transitions were on my own. It was like having the world to myself. So many photos.
Race was fronted by Megan Rose and Tom (Kiwi) Bradshaw this year. Kept it fun. After 6 days of racing the top two ladies were tied with exactly the same time. Winner decided by a Moo-off. (two ladies, on all fours in the pub facing each other - longest moo wins). There were blokes doing moo-offs for priority showers at Craigieburn Day 2.
40+ men podium celebrated with Shoeys. Start of a big night.
Would love a second go but i think i have done my dash for a while. Such an amazing week away. Adding in extra riding after including a heli drop made it a never forget experience.
@oliosky - A large part of Salmon Run was washed away at the start of February - there is only a little bit left, We used Beeched As and Squid run in the park.
Race was fronted by Megan Rose and Tom (Kiwi) Bradshaw this year. Kept it fun. After 6 days of racing the top two ladies were tied with exactly the same time. Winner decided by a Moo-off. (two ladies, on all fours in the pub facing each other - longest moo wins). There were blokes doing moo-offs for priority showers at Craigieburn Day 2.
40+ men podium celebrated with Shoeys. Start of a big night.
Would love a second go but i think i have done my dash for a while. Such an amazing week away. Adding in extra riding after including a heli drop made it a never forget experience.
@oliosky - A large part of Salmon Run was washed away at the start of February - there is only a little bit left, We used Beeched As and Squid run in the park.
Jpez
Down on the left!
Awesome write up Slowmick. I was looking forward to it when I remembered that you’d done it.
A mate of mine also went this year. A now living here Pom riding a black Ibis Mojo. His names Ben.
His and your account of the trip is very much making me want to sign up for next year!
Also a couple of other mates just finishing up a trip to QT and surrounds and posting photos of them doing helidrops makes it even harder to resist!
Amazing adventure.
A mate of mine also went this year. A now living here Pom riding a black Ibis Mojo. His names Ben.
His and your account of the trip is very much making me want to sign up for next year!
Also a couple of other mates just finishing up a trip to QT and surrounds and posting photos of them doing helidrops makes it even harder to resist!
Amazing adventure.